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DHC Million Thread almost has 30 Million views...

21M views 145K replies 422 participants last post by  Dep6 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
FYI... 😁 we are like 935510... (y)
 
#142,083 ·
I have noticed the same, but that has been going on for a long time. The first time I went to my future inlaws in NE Iowa thirty-five years ago, I as all excited thinking I could hunt pheasant on their farm and surrounding farms. Uhhh no. What passed as a fence line had corn planted within a foot of it on each side. A pheasant could not tuck its tailfeathers in there. They planted right through the seasonal creek though they never got a crop out of it. The ponds had long ago been drained, flattened and planted.

Another place I used to go in Northern Missouri has been rented and the guy farming it plants what used to be filter strips, and each year, a new canyon of erosion forms.

Thankfully, there is still good upland hunting waaaay out west in Kansas where you have grain fields next to tall grass, and if you have a pointing dog, the corners of the fields with center pivot irrigation can offer good cover and opportunities.

Also glad to have the 45 acre hunting club which is on a Corpse of Engineers flood easement, so no agricultural business is allowed outside of food plots. Whoa is me, as well. [emoji30]
I miss having quail close to home here in NE Kansas. I used to drive 1.5-2 hrs and find lots of pheasant and Quail with some prairie chicken. Now I have to drive further and further every hear it seems. Occasionally get good ducks through here, but mostly rely on the Canada's to get through.

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#142,085 ·
I figure once we run out of water, people will stop moving here. I'm sure there is a group of engineers sitting in a cubicle somewhere right now in Utah trying to decide how much it would cost to run a pipeline from the great lakes region into the great salt lake.
Illinois and California already tried it. Ya just can't sell international property.
 
#142,086 ·
HNT - who do you think wins this weekend?

I think if our OL and Corum are healthy we win. If conditions allow for you guys to pass the way you want, we’re in trouble.

Looks like rain right now…
I am of similar mind on player availability. Corum is a beast with a good line and our defense while much better than last year has fleeting moments. Alternatively our pass and run attack is pretty damned strong but if Williams and Henderson are out (or partially healthy) we're much easier to defend. We're also still down Smith Njigba one of the best receivers in the country and have been for quite awhile. So I think healthy, Ohio State may well be the best team in the Country but down 3 major offensive play makers is a handicap. Not good playing #3 in the Country with a Freshman running back.

Weatherwise - right now says rain coming in the afternoon so it may not hit until mid game. Temps high forties and low 50's with 5-10 MPH winds. That's not awful to a passing game. Nothing like Northwestern. On top of that, I think Home Field is a big differentiator this year for us.

So netting it out - player health is key and coaching (game plan) paramount. We've found ways to win this year even on bad days which hasn't always been true of the Buckeyes. I hate when 2-4 players on any team are critical to success, it's a huge weakness I don't think Georgia suffers from but I don't follow them as close.

All things equal, whoever wants it the most will probably win. Nervous as a Church mouse waiting for injury reports. And probably won't leave the lazy boy except for commercials. As a fan I hope we pound the snot out of you but am sure that feeling is mutual. 😂
 
#142,089 ·
#142,090 ·
Most of the marshes are pretty well locked up in ice here, so I've been scouting some creeks and canals in hopes of jump shooting a few ducks. I spotted a group of mallards early this morning, so we hopped out of the truck and started our slow, crouched sneak toward them. About halfway there, the puppy started getting really birdy, so I cut her loose and did my best to stay right with her and when I could see her doing the belly low to the ground cat sneak, I knew things were about to get interesting. She bumped 2 hens and then after about 75 more yards, a rooster, which I dumped in a tough spot where the mutt had to go from walking across the ice into open water and then back up on the ice a couple of times to get to the bird and back to me. She did a great job working her way over to it and back. After we had that bird in hand, we started working back toward where she first started getting birdy and the mutt starts working up the edge of a canal with thick cattails on either side and her tail moving as quickly as a propeller, so I could tell she was back on some more birds. As we worked along this canal, she kicked up 3 more hens and then as we were getting close to where the dike intersected with another ditch, I thought running birds might hold at the end where it got really thick. At the end of this tangled up mess was a thick stand of Russian olive trees. Puppy was making a beeline right toward them with her nose on the ground, so I had to make a quick decision about what side I wanted to be on. Sure enough we get right to the end and up comes 2 roosters and a hen on the opposite of the trees from where I'm standing. Can't win em all I suppose. Really fun morning.
 
#142,091 ·
Most of the marshes are pretty well locked up in ice here, so I've been scouting some creeks and canals in hopes of jump shooting a few ducks. I spotted a group of mallards early this morning, so we hopped out of the truck and started our slow, crouched sneak toward them. About halfway there, the puppy started getting really birdy, so I cut her loose and did my best to stay right with her and when I could see her doing the belly low to the ground cat sneak, I knew things were about to get interesting. She bumped 2 hens and then after about 75 more yards, a rooster, which I dumped in a tough spot where the mutt had to go from walking across the ice into open water and then back up on the ice a couple of times to get to the bird and back to me. She did a great job working her way over to it and back. After we had that bird in hand, we started working back toward where she first started getting birdy and the mutt starts working up the edge of a canal with thick cattails on either side and her tail moving as quickly as a propeller, so I could tell she was back on some more birds. As we worked along this canal, she kicked up 3 more hens and then as we were getting close to where the dike intersected with another ditch, I thought running birds might hold at the end where it got really thick. At the end of this tangled up mess was a thick stand of Russian olive trees. Puppy was making a beeline right toward them with her nose on the ground, so I had to make a quick decision about what side I wanted to be on. Sure enough we get right to the end and up comes 2 roosters and a hen on the opposite of the trees from where I'm standing. Can't win em all I suppose. Really fun morning.
Man, I live for those moments. (y) Excellent!
 
#142,093 ·
That’s a shame to put such a regal bird like a pheasant next to such a stinky pile.

Pup sounds like a machine, nice work, Doc.
:LOL:
With my extensive photography background and skillset, I should have know to put the pinner next to the pheasant for pictures.

Truth be told, I think I was lucky to kill one puddle duck today. With everything frozen up here, I fear lots of the dabblers have headed your way and what is mostly left here are the stinky divers you see in the pic.
 
#142,098 · (Edited)
Pup don't care 'bout that: ducks is ducks.
Agreed! Not many more realistic 'training opportunities' than what I had yesterday -- stinker ducks flying up and down a river while puppy sits patiently waiting for a retrieve opportunity. Just so you guys think a little more highly of me, I did give a group or two of mergs a pass yesterday.

Sprigs- People can say what they want about those spooners, but those fully plumed drakes are pretty.
 
#142,099 ·
Agreed! Not many more realistic 'training opportunities' than what I had yesterday -- stinker ducks flying up and down a river while puppy sits patiently waiting for a retrieve opportunity. Just so you guys think a little more highly of me, I did give a group or two of mergs a pass yesterday.

Springs- People can say what they want about those spooners, but those fully plumed drakes are pretty.
Yeah they are, and they taste better than what people say.
 
#142,100 ·
The really bad news is that they're bringing what they're trying to get away from with them.
You couldn't be more right about it. One of the reasons we chose to move into the city where I now live is the smallest residential lot you could build a home on is 1 acre and a good majority of people have 3 or 5 acre lots. It kept neighbors spread out a bit from one another in neighborhoods and didn't feel crowded like some other places do. A couple of years ago, some weird lawsuit, that I still do not understand, was filed against the city because it did not offer any low income housing. In the past 2 years there have been literally thousands of condos and apartments built here and all that has done is increase traffic, crowds, noise, pollution and crime. What was once a nice, small rural community is rapidly turning into an urban mess. I've got my sights set on my retirement and will shortly after be moving to the middle of nowhere Montana.
 
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